|
Apartheid
Apartheid (literally "apartness"
in Afrikaans and Dutch) was a system of racial segregation that was enforced in
South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Under apartheid, people were legally classified
into a racial group - the main ones being White, Black, Indian and Colored - and
were geographically, and forcibly, separated from each other on the basis of the
legal classification.
With the enactment of apartheid laws in
1948, racial discrimination was institutionalized. Race laws touched every
aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites
and whites, and the sanctioning of ``white-only'' jobs. In 1950, the Population
Registration Act required that all South Africans be racially classified into
one of three categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed decent).
The coloured category included major subgroups of Indians and Asians.
Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance,
and descent. For example, a white person was defined as ``in appearance
obviously a white person or generally accepted as a white person.'' A person
could not be considered white if one of his or her parents were non-white. The
determination that a person was ``obviously white'' would take into account
``his habits, education, and speech and deportment and demeanor.'' A black
person would be of or accepted as a member of an African tribe or race, and a
colored person is one that is not black or white. The Department of Home Affairs
(a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry.
Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. All blacks were
required to carry ``pass books'' containing fingerprints, photo and information
on access to non-black areas.
In 1951, the Bantu Authorities Act
established a basis for ethnic government in African reserves, known as
``homelands.'' These homelands were independent states to which each African was
assigned by the government according to the record of origin (which was
frequently inaccurate). All political rights, including voting, held by an
African were restricted to the designated homeland. The idea was that they would
be citizens of the homeland, losing their citizenship in South Africa and any
right of involvement with the South African Parliament which held complete
hegemony over the homelands.
From 1976 to 1981, four of these
homelands were created, denationalizing nine million South Africans. The
homeland administrations refused the nominal independence, maintaining pressure
for political rights within the country as a whole. Nevertheless, Africans
living in the homelands needed passports to enter South Africa: aliens in their
own country.
South Africa's first democratic elections
in which full enfranchisement was granted were held on 27 April 1994. The ANC
won the majority in the election, and Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the
country's first black State President, with the National party's FW de Klerk as
his deputy president in the Government of National Unity.
|
